Car-replacing frog.



L. PLUARD.

GAR REPLACING FROG.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 22, 1908 QIQU'YQ, Patented Mar. 2, 19 09.

LEON PLUARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-REPLACING FROG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed July 22, 1908. Serial No. 44,765.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON PLUARD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Replacing Frogs, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates to car-replacing frogs for assisting derailed cars back onto the track again, and relates more particularly to improvements in the car-replacing frog, for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me March 12, 1907, Number 847,259.

The object of my invention is to make the tread of the inclined surface of the frogs conform, as near as practicable, to the transverse contours of the periphery of the car-wheel, and to provide the longitudinally inclined tread with steps the inclines or risers of which face toward the rail and which extend from the corners at each end that are farthest from the rail obliquely up the incline of said tread to the summit thereof, so as to push the carwheels laterally toward and onto the rail as they mount the frogs, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is an end View of my improved frogs, illustrating their application to a track. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the master frog or outside frog. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the inside frog. Fig. 4 is a transverse central section of said inside frog. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the master frog.

Replacing-frogs are made and are used in pairs; one to be placed against the inner side of one rail, and the other against the outer side of the other rail of the track. The latter is generally known as the master frog. Both of these frogs are, preferably, made of hollow steel castings, or of drop forgings, or of pressed steel, and the basal edges of both are, preferably, rectangular and serrated, and constructed in every respect, substantially as shown and described in the Letters Patent, #847,259, granted to me as aforesaid.

The longitudinal side of the master-frog A next the rail is vertical, and, at its center of length this vertical side arises to a point about two and one-half inches above the tread of the rail, and, in the horizontal plane just above the rail said vertical side is provided with a laterally projecting hook a, which, when the frog is in use, reaches across the ball of the rail and has its opposite end down-turned to hook the frog tightly to the same. The center of length of the upper surface of frog A, next the vertical side thereof, is, approximately, about an inch and onehalf above the hook and is perfectly flat so as to provide a horizontal platform 1), upon which the wheel can momentarily rest when it reaches the summit of the frog before it drops laterally, or starts to roll longitudinally down the opposite incline, onto the rail. The upper surface of the frog inclines upward from its ends to this platform, and it is provided with a ridge or terrace B which extends from the corners of the frog farthest from the rail, obliquely up the same until it comes to a point 0, at the center of length of platform I), a short distance back from the upper edge of the vertical side. In addition to ridge B the upper surface is provided with another ridge or terrace which steps a part of the inclined end portions of the same to a slightly lower plane. At the center of length of the frog, the face of this terrace is represented by the part of the vertical side above the hook, but a short distance away from each side edge of the hook the face of the terrace cuts back into the upper surface, and defines supplemental terraces O, O, which curve back from the adjacent upper edge of the vertical side of the frog a suitable distance, so as to substantially parallel the conterminous portions of ridge B, and gradually decrease in height as they approach the ends of the frogs. The transverse plane of the upper surface of the frog at any point between the ends thereof and platform 1), except where the ridges appear, is horizontal, and the fiat periphery of a car-wheel would travel flat on this broader portion of the said upper surface at the base of ridge B, as it is rolled up the frog, while the flange of the wheel would overhang ridge O, and force the wheel laterally until platform I) was reached, whereupon the small portion of the flat part of the periphery resting thereon would cause the wheel to gravitate ofl the said platform onto the hook and from thence to the rail, or if it did not do this the Wheel would roll down the opposite incline, and the flange would roll onto the rail, and, continuing its oblique course soon drop the wheel properly on the rail.

D represents the inside frog. It does not rise as high as the master frog at its summit, and next the vertical side thereof its upper surface is, preferably, slightly lower than the to of the hook G, which latter projects latera y from said vertical side and reaches over and holds the frog to the rail, substantially as shown. This difference in height between the top of the hook and the upper end of the frog produces a slight longitudinal channel 0, into which the periphery of the flange of the wheel will run, and be directed in a longitudinal direction parallel with the inner edge of the rail before the Wheel commences to roll down the opposite incline onto the rail. Arising from the dip of said channel is the promontory or oint E of a ridge F, which extends oblique y down the incline and gets farther and farther away from the rail-side of the frog as it approaches the ends thereof. The height of this ridge F decreases as it extends from promontory E, but it is, at all points along its length, more pronounced than the ridges of the master-frog. The transverse plane of the upper surface or tread of frog D between the base of its ridge F and the upper edges of its vertical side is horizontal, except at its summit so that the flange of the wheel rolling up the same can be more readily pushed toward the rail-side of the frog by the engagement of the opposite edge of the wheel with the inclined side of the ridge F.

What I claim as new is 1. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body having one side vertical and the central portion of said vertical side below its upper edge provided with a laterally proj ecting downturned hook, said body having its upper surface inclined longitudinally upward from its ends to its central portion, and provided with a ridge which extends obliquely from the corners of its ends farthest from the rail to a point near the center of length of the upper edge of its vertical side, the portion of said inclined surface next the vertical side being stepped to a lower plane than said inclined surface.

2. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body having one side vertical and the central portion of said side below its upper edge provided with a laterally projecting downturned hook, said body having its upper surface inclined longitudinally upward from its ends to its central portion and formed so as to shift the wheel toward the rail as it mounts the frog and the portion of said inclined surface next the vertical side being stepped to a lower plane than said inclined surface.

3. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body the upper surface of which is highest midway its ends where it is provided with a horizontal platform from which it in clines longitudinally downward toward said ends, and is otherwise formed so as to shift the wheel toward the rail as it mounts the frog; said body having one side substantially vertical and the central portion of said vertical side provided with a laterally projecting downturned hook, and the portion next said vertical side being stepped to a lower plane than said inclined surface.

4. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body the upper surface of which, midway its length, is provided with a horizontal platform and inclines longitudinally downward therefrom toward its ends, and is formed so as to shift the wheel toward the plane of the rail as it mounts the frog, the portion of the inclined surface adjacent to the rail being stepped to a lower plane than said inclined surface and said body having one side substantially vertical and the central portion of said vertical side below its upper edge provided with a laterally projecting downturned hook.

5. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body having one side vertical and the central portion of said side provided with a laterally projecting downturned hook, said body having its upper surface inclined longitudinally downward from its central portion toward its ends, and provided with a plurality of substantially parallel ridges that extend obliquely from the ends of the body farthest from said hook to a point near the center of length of the upper edge of said side, and one of which ridges converges with the adjacent side of said frog and comes to a point at the center of length of the summit of the frog.

6. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body having one side vertical, and the central portion of said side below its upper edge provided with a laterally projecting downturned hook, said body having its upper surface inclined longitudinally from its central portion toward its ends and provided with a plurality of substantially parallel ridges which extend obliquely from the ends of the body farthest from said hook to a point near said hook, and one of which converges toward the adjacent side of said frog and comes to a point at the center of length of the summit of the frog.

7. A replacing frog for cars consisting of a metallic body having one side vertical and the central portion of said side provided With a laterally projecting downturned hook, said body having its upper surface inclined longitudinally downward from its central portion toward its ends, and provided With a plurality of substantially parallel ridges that extend obliquely from the ends of the body farthest from said hook to a point near the center of length of the upper edge of said side.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 4th day of June, 1908.

LEON PLUARD. [L. s.] Witnesses E. K. LUNDY, M. G. STOLL. 

